Bucculatrix rycki – the first fossil adult Ribbed Cocoon Maker Moth (Bucculatricidae, Lepidoptera)

An adult of a Ribbed Cocoon Maker Moth (Bucculatricidae) from Eocene Baltic amber is described as a new species (Bucculatrix rycki). This is the first description of a fossil adult of this microlepidopteran family, but previous evidence for this family comes from typical leaf mines in fossil leaves that provide evidence dating to the Upper Cretaceous. The minimal geological age for this adult specimen is here confirmed to be at least upper Eoceneand likely middle Eocene based on stratigraphic evidence. A putative host-plant range of the fossil taxon is proposed, based on host-plant records of extant species of the genus in association with paleobotanical data from Baltic amber.